New URL

This is the new URL for the Action Research Report folder on my wiki:

         https://sites.google.com/site/mariannedesaixwallace/action-research-report

      With the new school year, our wiki has become much more utilized.  Our district has required us to have weekly PLC meetings this year, because of the new curriculum we are implementing (CCCS) and the new evaluation system.  Not only has the principal's evaluation system changed, we are now required to set SLT's, or Student Learning Targets, for each of our students in Math and ELA skills; however, since I do not teach Math, I wrote my ELA SLT, then partnered with the kindergarten and first grade French teachers to write science SLT's for my Social Living students.  There are no standards through CCCS for Science as of yet, so we used the current GLE's and Benchmarks for kindergarten and first grade students for science, specifically for classification skills since that is a major portion of our instruction in K-1 science.  During the first nine weeks of the year, first grade has not had afternoon bus duty.  We have taken this opportunity to meet in person every week.  However, this month we will all start having bus duty, so we have been given permission to use our wiki for every other PLC meeting.  The wiki has already been utilized as a PLC a great deal:  we have downloaded Math pacing charts for CCCS, lesson plans, activities, and websites, among other helpful learning tools.   My co-workers have not been the only ones accessing the wiki.  We have also shared our wiki with teachers from other schools in the district, as well as from other states, who are implementing CCCS this year.

10/24 I attended the first PLC meeting with the other first grade teachers. They are very generous to include me in their group. I explained what I was going to try to do this year, creating a wiki for our use. I hope I can repay their generosity by making the wiki easy for them to use and access, with valuable tools they can integrate into their lessons. M.W.

Draft Action Research Project Report

Here is the a link to the word document containing my Draft Action Research Project Report.

https://sites.google.com/site/mariannedesaixwallace/draft-action-research-project-progress-report

 

       

My Action Research Project has not gone very well this year.  In fact, it has not gone at all.  Even though I have tried repeatedly to encourage them, my co-workers have been very resistant to even trying to access the wiki, mainly because they did not want to get a g-mail account & have to create a new password.  I tried to duplicate the wiki on our BlackBoard site at school, but it just will not work as well as the google wiki, for several reasons:  it does not have the same format at all; we cannot access YouTube videos; I cannot add pages as easily; there are not near the same number of options to add items to the wiki or to personalize it; things placed on the Blackboard wiki do not all show up the way they do on the google wiki; and the Blackboard wiki is really intended to be a class option, to be shared with students, not co-workers.  I am kind of frustrated with my co-workers; they didn't even have to do anything to the wiki this year--it was created and maintained by me, strictly for their convenience.  Their refusal to try something new is pretty characteristic of the stumbling blocks that mainstream American education throws in the way of technology integration into instruction.  Many veteran teachers refuse to try something new, even something that could help them out.  I am trying to persuade them one last time to give it a try.  If they are still resistant, I will have to change my plan.  One thing may work in my favor:  the major reason I started this was as a timesaver for my co-workers.  With 8 people in our PLC, and several of them with young children, it is very difficult to find a time to meet with everyone twice a month, as required by our administration.  Also, when we do meet, it is a grade level meeting, not really a collaborative process, and certainly not professional development or professional idea exchange.  If I can get approval from my assistant principal (who is also my mentor) to allow us to use access of this wiki as one of our two monthly meetings, then I will be hitting both of the two things I hoped to accomplish:  1)Finding a way to share my new found knowledge with my co-workers; and 2)being able to save them that most valuable of teacher resources-time.

Final Reflections on EDLD 5301

    This particular course has been very challenging for me, as the introspection and the reflections required do not come very easily for me yet.  l enjoyed reading the Dana book, Leading With Passion and Knowledge, especially the reflections and the anecdotes written by the administrators.  The most valuable part of this course has been the collaboration that has happened within my class, with my small group from 5306.  They were a tremendous help to me as a sounding board and giving me very valuable input on my research plan.  When we were confused, we figured out whatever the puzzle was together. 

     The video lectures were very beneficial to me, explaining the different components of the Action Research Plan.  During week 2, I found the interviews with the three Doctoral graduates to be especially helpful.  The interview that inspired me the most was Interview 3, with Dr. Kirk Lewis.  He was discussing the action research plan and the importance of picking out a topic that was functional, rather than abstract, as well as personally important to the researcher.  He pointed out that would hold the researcher’s attention better, make the final result more important to the researcher, and be more beneficial to the school in the long run.  In his words, “…if it’s not practical, and it cannot be applied to your particular situation, it just hasn’t done much good” (Lamar University, 2011).  These words were very powerful for me, and helped guide me to my final choice for my action research project.  Of the three inquiries I was considering, I chose the one that was the most personal for me.

 

      I was also very impressed by the interview with Dr. Johnny Briseño, Principal of Rancho Isabella Elementary, Angleton ISD, but for a different reason.  He began his interview by stating, “We don’t make decisions without looking at data first” (Lamar University, 2011).  Dr. Briseño expounded upon his statement by saying that no matter what problem a teacher comes to him with, his first questions to that teacher concern identification of the problem and the source of the identification.  He went on to say that data is more than test scores:  researchers need to look at home life, talk to teachers, and examine other environmental factors.  His statements brought home how important appropriate data collection is in action research.  In the interview, it also came across how important this type of research was to him, and also how much he trusts his faculty to conduct it in a thoughtful, constructive manner.  I liked the way he focused on positive aspects of research:  “What are others doing right?” instead of, “What are we doing wrong?”  (Lamar University, 2011). 

      The discussion boards and blogs were extremely constructive, more so in this class rather than the last class, because they dealt specifically with our projects.  I like exchanging thoughts with the members of my class.  They have a lot of experience and view things from different perspectives; their knowledge and ideas contributed a lot to my plan.  Dr. Jenkins stated in the fourth video lecture, “we sincerely… hope the friends and associations you make in our class will become part of your professional network for years to come” (Lamar University, 2011)  I hope so as well.

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal As Action

       Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Lamar University. (Producer). (2011). Interview 1: Johnny Briseno [Embedded video].

          Beaumont, Texas: Lamar University.

Lamar University. (Producer).  (2011). Interview 3:  Dr. Kirk Lewis [Embedded video].

          Beaumont, Texas: Lamar University.

Lamar University. (Producer). (2011). Week 4 Introduction [Embedded video].

          Beaumont, Texas: Lamar University.

Action Research Plan

Action Planning Template
Goal: To determine the best method of professional development delivery concerning technology to professional educators. Action Research Question: How can a PLC (Professional Learning Community) address the professional development needs of educators?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Engage in  a PLC with other first grade teachers at Gillis Elementary; Meet regularly with PLC; update wiki weekly	Self, other members of PLC	Start: 10/24/11 End:  5/15/12	Wiki set up for professional exchanges; members of PLC; meeting place (school~Gillis Elementary)	Reflections of PLC meetings posted on wiki; reflections on effectiveness of PLC; reflection on action research project.
Research and share information about 2.0 web tools, PLC’s through literature, online education blogs, and websites	Self	Start:  11/7/11            End: 5/15/12	Computer for Internet searches	Reflections on wiki-article reviews posted on wiki tutorials posted on wiki
Interview members of PLC concerning effects of PLC as a professional development tool Compile  interview data	Self, site mentor Self	Start:  4/30/12 End:   5/11/12 Start:  5/15/12 End:   5/30/12	Probing questions concerning success or failure of PLC as a professional development tool. Interviews, computer	Information compiled and reported on wiki Information compiled and reported on wiki and in final report
Conduct a survey of teachers in school to see what effects PLC have had as a tool for professional development Compile  survey data	Self, site mentor Self	Start: 3/15/12 End:  3/30/12 Start:  4/1/12 End:  4/15/12	Probing questions concerning success or failure of PLC as a professional development tool; free website such as Survey Monkey on which to conduct survey Survey information, computer	Information compiled using tool such as Survey Monkey Information compiled using tool such as Survey Monkey and reported on wiki and in final report
Compile data into final research report, along with reflections, claims, and concluding thoughts	Self	Start: 5/15/12 End:  6/15/12	Data gathered, reflections	Final research report
Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools (Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)